Registering device

ABSTRACT

A registering device for maintaining superposed sheets of material in aligned relationship including an elongated body member having positioning means for locating a lower sheet of material and hinged flap means carried on the body member adapted to hold and position a separate sheet of material in registration with the first mentioned sheet.

I Unlted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,841,217

Hodges 1 Oct. 15, 1974 [5 REGISTERING DEVICE 1,894,451 1/1933 Schmidt et211. 101 /407 BP 2,745,186 5/1956 Faeber 101/D1G. 12 [76] lnvemor-Hodges 624 2nd 2,902,770 9 1959 Mulcahy 33 1845 Atchlson, Kans- 660023,288,063 11 1966 Bungay 101/010. 12 [22] Filed: May 2,1973 3,483,82012/1969 Schuttcnbcrg [OI/415.1 X [21] AppL Iva/356,587 FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 721,367 l/1955 Great Britain 101/D1G. 12 RelatedAppllcatlon Data 493,343 4/1954 Italy 101/407 BP [63] Continuation ofSer. No.- 166,181, July 26, 1971,

abflndoned- Primary ExaminerClyde 1. Coughenour Attorney, Agent, orFirmHenderson & Strom [52] US. Cl 101/413, 101/D1G. 12, 269/47,

402/80 R 57 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B411 l/28 1 [58] Field of Search101/407, DIG. 12, 413; A 9 1 8 deVICC for malntalm ngsuperposed sheets269/47 of matenal 1n aligned relatlonship Including an elongated bodymember having positioning means for 10- 56 R f d eating a lower sheet ofmaterial and hinged flap means 1 UNITE]; carried on the body memberadapted to hold and p051- tion a separate sheet of material inregistration with 1,076,847 10/1913 Taylor 101/407 BP h fi mentioned h1,765,859 6/1930 Bartel 101/407 BP 1,830,779 11/1931 Boulton 101/407 BP1 Claim, 6 Drawlng Figures 1 REGISTERING DEVICE This is a continuationof application Ser. No. 166,181, filed July 26, 1971 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many types of printing operations one ofthe important requirements is that of registration of superposed sheetsof material. For example, in offset printing, a layout sheet is firstmade. Articles are pasted on the layout sheet which is then punchedalong one edge for centering purposes. The layout sheet is thenphotographed, the film also being punched to register with the layoutsheet. The film is placed over a printing plate, which must also bepunched, and the image is burned into the plate with a mercury vaporlamp or other appropriate means.

There are many different so-called standar widths of paper used in theindustry, such that the problem of registering layout sheets, film andprinting plates is a very real one. Prior to the present invention,there was no satisfactory means available which allowed film to bepre-punched, and in the past the punching operation has been done onesheet at a time as the film is used.

There has long been a need for a system which .would allow pre-punchingof film for use with different sized paper, and which eliminates theneed for punching the printing plates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates .to a device for holdingsuperposed sheets of material in registration, and more particularlyrelates to a device which can be used with different sizes of sheets ofmaterial due to adjustable sheet positioning and holding means thereon.

According to this invention, a registration device is provided which canhold a lower sheetof material .in a predetermined position and can alsoposition and hold a second sheet of material above the first sheet inregistration therewith. Both the means for holding the lower sheet andthe upper sheet are adjustable to allow for handling different sizes ofsheets, and the device allows the upper sheet of .material to bepre-punched and then attached to the registration device forregistration with a plate, which need not be punched. The plate is heldor positioned by the registration device as will be explained in detailbelow.

This invention includes an elongated body member for holding orpositioning a first sheet of material, and pivotally connected flapsadapted to hold and position a second sheet of material in registrationwith the first sheet. Pins on the flaps preferably are used to coincidewith pre-punched holes in the second sheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is atop plan view showing the.device of this invention holding a lower sheet of material.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device showing a hingedflap pivoted away from the body member.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of an adjusting means shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the hinged flap pivoted away from a bodymember.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of aregistering device in accordance with this invention is illustrated inFIGS. l-6, wherein the registering device is shown generally at 10, andincludes an elongated body member 11 having end abutments 12 and 13 atthe ends thereof. Slots l4 and 15 are transversely located in the bodymember 11 near the ends thereof, and adjustable positioning means 16 and17 are slidable therein. Set screws 18 are .provided for setting theslidable positioning means 16 and 17 in adesired position in slots 14and 15, respectively.

A pair of flaps 19 and 20 are pivotally attached to one edge of the bodymember 11, and as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flaps l9 and 20 aremounted by means of hinges 21, 22 and 23,24, respectively. These hingesare attached to the edge of body member 11 such as by set screws 25shown in hinge 21, and can be positioned as desired along the edge ofbody member 11 by loosening and resetting the set screws for the hinges.

A flap pivot rod 28, shown by broken lines in FIG. 2, allows the flap to.pivot from a position overlying the body member 11 (FIGS. 1 and 6) to aposition away from the body member (FIGS. 2 and 5).

Each' of the flaps includes a section 26 of reduced thickness (FIG. 5),and includes pins 27 attached to section 26 (FIGS. 1 and 5) for holdingand positioning a layer of material such as a sheet of film havingprepunched holes in one edge spaced to conform to the spacing of pins 27on flap 19.

The positioning means 16 and 17 preferably include elements 29 and 30 onopposing faces of body member 1 1 (FIG. 4). Element 30 has a threadedopening for receiving a set screw 18 extending from a mating opening inelement 29, and tightening of the set screw 18 will draw elements 29 and30 toward each other resulting .in a gripping action on body member 11.

The endabutments l2 and 13 are preferably permanently attached to thebody member 11, but it will be appreciated that one of the end abutmentscould be adjustably mounted similarly to the positioning means 16 and17.

OPERATION The operation of the registering device of this invention willbe described as it would be used in registering a film sheet over aprinting plate.

A printing plate 31 is shown in FIG. 1 positioned between abutmentmembers 12 and 13 and against positioning means 16 and 17. In the eventthat the length of plate 31 is less than the distance between abutmentmembers 12 and 13, it could be positioned against either one of them.The plate could be positioned further inward on body member 11 byadjusting theposition of positioning means 16 and 17.

A film sheet (not shown) is then placed on flaps 19 and 20 by insertionof pins 27 through .pre-punched holes in the film sheet. The location ofthe film sheet longitudinally of the body member 11 is adjustable bymeans of set screws 25 in the hinges, such that they could be loosenedand slid along the edge of body member 11 until the film sheet is in thedesired position with respect to plate 31.

It can be seen that the device of this invention allows for registeringof superposed layers of material without the requirement of alignedpunch holes in both of the layers. Also, either layer may be adjustedrelative to the other to allow the desired portion of the lower layer tobe covered by the upper layer.

The above description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is forthe purpose of illustration, and various modifications could be madewithout departing from the invention.

1 claim:

1. A registering device for maintaining superposed sheets of material inregistration including:

an elongated body member having slot means formed transverselytherethrough adjacent each end thereof;

flap means including hinge means attached to one edge of the elongatedbody member, the flap member overlying the body member and injuxtaposition to the body member in a first position of the flap means,and being pivotably away from the body member to a second position, saidflap means including a section of reduced thickness on the other edgethereof, said reduced portion being defined between the other edge and awall means defining the boundary between the reduced portion and thenon-reduced portion of the flap, said hinge means comprising two blockshaving aligned bores therein, a bore in said one edge of said flap meansbeing aligned with said bores in said two blocks and a pin beingreceived in the aligned bores of said two blocks and said flap means tothereby allow relative movement between said blocks and said flap means;

first set means on said hinge means for adjustably positioning the hingemeans and thereby the flap means along the one edge of the elongatedbody;

pin means connected at one end to the section of reduced thickness ofthe flap means and terminating in a free end at the other end of saidpin means, which other end is upwardly extending away from saidelongated member in the first position of the flap means, said wallmeans and said pin means being for holding a first sheet of material ina predetermined superimposed relationship with respect to the bodymember in the first position of the flap means;

adjustable positioning means slidable in the slot means and includingsecond set means for holding the adjustable positioning means in adesired position relative to the body member to adjustably position asecond sheet transversely with respect to said body member; and

abutment means including a raised portion extending above the bodymember on each end of the elongated body member for positioning a secondsheet of material longitudinally withrespect to the body member.

1. A registering device for maintaining superposed sheets of material inregistration including: an elongated body member having slot meansformed transversely therethrough adjacent each end thereoF; flap meansincluding hinge means attached to one edge of the elongated body member,the flap member overlying the body member and in juxtaposition to thebody member in a first position of the flap means, and being pivotablyaway from the body member to a second position, said flap meansincluding a section of reduced thickness on the other edge thereof, saidreduced portion being defined between the other edge and a wall meansdefining the boundary between the reduced portion and the non-reducedportion of the flap, said hinge means comprising two blocks havingaligned bores therein, a bore in said one edge of said flap means beingaligned with said bores in said two blocks and a pin being received inthe aligned bores of said two blocks and said flap means to therebyallow relative movement between said blocks and said flap means; firstset means on said hinge means for adjustably positioning the hinge meansand thereby the flap means along the one edge of the elongated body; pinmeans connected at one end to the section of reduced thickness of theflap means and terminating in a free end at the other end of said pinmeans, which other end is upwardly extending away from said elongatedmember in the first position of the flap means, said wall means and saidpin means being for holding a first sheet of material in a predeterminedsuperimposed relationship with respect to the body member in the firstposition of the flap means; adjustable positioning means slidable in theslot means and including second set means for holding the adjustablepositioning means in a desired position relative to the body member toadjustably position a second sheet transversely with respect to saidbody member; and abutment means including a raised portion extendingabove the body member on each end of the elongated body member forpositioning a second sheet of material longitudinally with respect tothe body member.